October 4, 2024 - WASHINGTON — Together with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Postal Service on Thursday paid tribute to the health care community with a new commemorative Forever stamp. The Thank You Healthcare Community stamp is on sale now at Post Offices nationwide and online at usps.com/shopstamps.
A special dedication ceremony was held at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey building in Washington, DC.
“The Thank You Healthcare Community stamp is special – it recognizes the tremendous work by all health workers across the country. And it comes with our memory of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the critical role that health workers played, still fresh in our minds,” said Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Having a stamp issued to commemorate the work of those across the health sector is a tremendous honor. It is an honor that is well deserved.”
“We understand the importance of recognizing those in the helping professions because that’s how we think of the Postal Service. Like those in the health care community, our employees are also committed to serving others,” said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. “They know the habits of their customers and the rhythms of their communities. They are often the first to notify emergency personnel when something is wrong, and because they are literally on every street in every neighborhood, they can often provide initial comfort and care before first responders arrive.”
DeJoy was joined by Dr. Loretta Christensen, chief medical officer, Indian Health Services, and Dr. Andrea Anderson, associate professor and associate chief of the division of family medicine, George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
News about the stamp is being shared on social media using the hashtag #ThankYouHealthcareStamp.
Background
Employing nearly 16 million people, health care is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the United States. It encompasses physicians, surgeons, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, lab technicians, orderlies, home health aides, hospital custodians and emergency medical workers, among others. It also includes public health professionals such as epidemiologists, microbiologists and data analysts. These essential workers spend their days — and nights — in hospitals, clinics, private offices, laboratories, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, patients’ homes, and other settings. The biggest health care occupation by far is nursing; almost 23 percent of all health care workers are registered nurses.
Health care workers are our family, friends and neighbors. Overall, about 80 percent are women, and the percentages are even higher for nursing and many other occupations within the sector. Until the 1970s, very few women became physicians, but then the numbers started to climb, reaching about 12 percent by 1980. Today, about 39 percent of physicians and surgeons are women.
Facing sick, injured and dying patients — and distraught family members — on a daily basis can be tremendously challenging, but health care workers also experience considerable rewards. Research shows that scientists, doctors and nurses are some of the most highly respected professionals due to their dedication to helping other people.
Likewise, job satisfaction is high for many members of the health care community because they are able to make a difference in the lives of others, connect with people and find solutions to sometimes complex problems. The work is not boring, and it can be fascinating. Practitioners often have opportunities to move around within the field, for example, to another specialty or setting. Importantly, as our country’s population continues to age, the need for health care workers remains high.
Stamp Design
The stamp artwork consists of health-related icons spelling out the stacked words “thank you” against a pristine white background. Running across the lower right edge of the stamp are the words “Healthcare” in gray and “Community” in surgical green.
On the top line:
T is a medical caduceus, a symbol commonly used in the health care field, for example, in the seal for the U.S. Public Health Service. This caduceus consists of two dark-green snakes coiled around a gray staff topped by a pair of gray wings. (The “rod of Asclepius,” with a single coiled snake, is the original symbol for the field of medicine; however, in the United States, the caduceus has been associated with medicine/health care for more than a century.)
H is the traffic sign used to indicate a nearby hospital, a white H set in a dark-blue rectangle.
A is a black microscope seen from the side.
N is a surgical-green capital N, representing nurses, the biggest health care occupation.
K is formed by three tan-colored adhesive bandages — the type used for a skinned knee.
On the second line:
Y is a stethoscope with black tubing and stainless steel or aluminum alloy aural tubes.
O is a medical heart icon — a red heart with a jagged white electrocardiogram tracing across it.
U is a pair of cupped hands, the icon commonly used to indicate support and protection, rendered in blue.
Running across the lower right edge of the stamp are the words “Healthcare” in gray and “Community” in surgical green. “USA” and “FOREVER,” in gray, appear stacked in the lower left corner.
Bryan Duefrene was the art director and stamp designer.
The Thank You Healthcare Community stamp will be issued in panes of 20. As a Forever stamp, it will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1‑ounce price.
A video about the stamps will be posted after today’s event on the Postal Service’s Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, pages at facebook.com/USPS and x.com/usps.
Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional information on stamps, first-day-of-issue ceremonies and stamp-inspired products can be found at StampsForever.com.
